welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories — a special prosecutor, a former fbi chief, is appointed to investigate russian interference in the us election, as president trump complains about his treatment by the media. no politician in history and i say this with great surety, has been treated worse or more unfairly. venezuela steps up its military presence along the colombian border as violent anti—government protests spread across the country. the number of child migrants and refugees travelling alone reaches record numbers as the un warns many are at risk of being exploited. and she's a fierce opponent on the court. but this basketball player had to fight a legal action to play hoops in a hijab. president trump's opponents

have long argued for it, and under the weight of the past few weeks of rolling crises in the white house, it's happened. a special prosecutor has been appointed to oversee investigations into russian interference in the us election. he's a former head of the fbi, robert mueller. making the announcement, the us deputy attorney general said it didn't necessarily mean crimes had been committed. and mr trump claimed "a thorough investigation will confirm what we already know — there was no collusion between my campaign and any foreign entity." laura bicker is in washington. can you tell is, first of all, more about robert mueller? he was appointed by george w bush. his senate confirmation hearing was held

a few days before the september 11 attacks. he was kept on under president obama for a number two yea rs president obama for a number two years and retired in 2013. it was the predecessor and of the now sat director of the fbi, james comey. denied you cannot find a single republican or democrat who will criticise this man. he seems to be well respected by both sides. so when it comes to appointing this particular prosecutor, although the name prosecutor is there does not necessarily mean that prosecution will follow all crimes will be committed but it does seem that he is world respected by all parties. is it clear why he has been appointed? the announcement seems to have taken appointed? the announcement seems to have ta ken many appointed? the announcement seems to have taken many by surprise. the us media has been reporting that even the white house was not really given a lot of heads up, nearly 30 minutes before anybody else heard. but when

you read the statement from the deputy attorney general what it seems to be suggesting is that there needed to be clarity. any outcome of any investigation needed to be separate from all of the politics thatis separate from all of the politics that is going on in washington right 110w. that is going on in washington right now. it has been to mulch or as two weeks, especially the last 48 hours. when it comes to claim and counter claim, there are several investigations going on within the fbi and donald trump's political opponents did not believe, certainly did not want to confirm, any person who would be appointed as a director of the fbi by president trump, effectively, the man they would be investigating. there was distrust over that appointment and there were also a second investigation going on within the senate, the house and congress. they are really beset by partners in politics. this is someone partners in politics. this is

someone who will be on the outside, who is independent and can carry out his investigation unimpeded by any of the investigations or mudslinging going on. just one very brief point, what is unclear, of course, is whether this investigation will cover the recent few raw. when it comes to the alleged james comey memos, that should be covered under the remit. but it is unsure whether or not it is. tonight we now that the intelligence committee says it and the house committee will continue their push to get to see that alleged memo that the former head of the fbi road after a private meeting with president donald trump where president trump allegedly asked for director comey to let the investigation into michael flynn go. so we need to wait and see if that is covered. controversies in the white house are making investors very nervous.

the dowjones industrial index suffered its biggest one—day fall since trump was elected — and the us dollar at its lowest level against the yen since april. it's not yet clear if the fbi investigation will cover the latest allegations that mr trump asked america's former top cop — fbi directorjames comey — who he later sacked, to drop his inquiry into russian links. this from our north america editorjon sopel. donald trump was today on the way to the us coastguard academy as his administration seemed to be listing. 0ur commander in chief, donald trump. this has been the most torrid week of the presidency and though he didn't address each individual setback, there was a message. no politician in history, and i say this with great surety, has been treated worse, or more unfairly. you cannot let them get you down. i didn't get elected to serve the washington media, i got elected to serve the forgotten men and women of our country

and that's what i'm doing. he has become more famous than me! far and away his biggest problem comes from the sacked fbi director james comey. the disclosuree that james comey kept notes of his meetings with the president, including over the sacked michael flynn, is serious. donald trump is reported to have said to comey... amid allegation that this amounted to obstruction ofjustice, the white house denied any wrongdoing, saying the president hadn't told the fbi director to stop his work. it brought this from the democratic leader. the president says what comey says was wrong. prove it.

it is easy to prove. as long as there are tapes or transcripts of what happened. if the president's right, he will have no problem releasing memos, tapes, transcripts that corroborate his story. 0ther democrats have started using the "i" word. i rise today, mr speaker, to call for the impeachment of the president of the united states of america. for obstruction ofjustice. this is not good for america. some influential republicans too a re growing restless, with comparisons to the days of nixon. i think we have seen this movie before, i think it's reaching the point where it is of watergate—size and scale and a couple of other scandals that you and i have seen. it has been a calamitous week — last tuesday came the firing of james comey with the white house

giving muddled explanations about why. and then the president seemed to threaten the former fbi director, saying he had better hope there are no tapes of our conversation. and the president divulged material to the russian foreign minister when he visited the white house. the president, who returned to the white house tonight, will be buoyed by this support, but that's what gets you elected, not what keeps you in power, and this administration can't afford any more weeks like the one that's just gone. staying with that story: russia's president putin has weighed in again saying, possibly mischievously, that he's happy to provide a transcript of the conversation in the oval office between president trump and the russian foreign minister and ambassador. mr putin also suggested the american reaction was verging on "political schizophrenia". also making news today —

the newly elected french president has unveiled his cabinet. and he's living up to his promise to represent the entire political spectrum. emmanuel macron has appointed sylvie goulard, a liberal member of the european parliament, to defence, making her the highest—ranked woman. he's also put both former socialists and conservatives into key positions. the venezuelan government has stepped up its military presence along the colombian border, a centro of anti—government radicals. along the colombian border, a centro of anti-government radicals. this is after days of rioting and looting in the area. at least 40 people are being killed nationwide since protests flared up. from supermarket to squalor. this is the result of another night of looting in the venezuelan state. the shelves are empty and the floors are full of debris, dirt and rotting

food. translation: we have been told an armed group on motorcycles was trying to get in. about 300 people came over the barriers. they took everything, equipment, cash register is even refrigerators. it is not just supermarkets. this is what is love of the family—owned bus station. translation: there were not cover buses. they were mine and my families. my fathers. they left our business is useless. the government says over 2000 soldiers will be sent to the region to restore order. the looting and violent protests come amid widespread shortages of basic goods. a symptom of the deepening economic crisis in venezuela. 0ver the last six weeks, protesters have been demanding a general election and the chance to remove president maduro from power. 0ver and the chance to remove president maduro from power. over 40 people have been killed in protests across

the country. the crisis was the subject of debate at a un security council meeting on wednesday where the united states appeal to president maduro to call free and fair elections. what we attempted to do in this meeting today is about prevention. we have been down this road. with syria, with north korea, with south sudan, we have been down this road. and rather than waiting for a serious situation where we have to have an open security council meeting, why not get in front of this? but the chances of maduro bending to the will of the us are slim. he has already acute washington of backing a coup attempt against him and remains determined to stay in office until at least 2019, when his term expires. much more to come for you on bbc news including this — with washington in uproar, how do his

supporters feel about the cascade of negative results. we had to nashville to find out. the pope was shot, the pope will live. that's the essence of the appalling news from rome this afternoon, that, as an italian television commentator put it, terrorism has come to the vatican. the man they called the butcher of lyon, klaus barbie, went on trial today in the french town where he was the gestapo chief in the second world wa23 winnie mandela never looked like a woman just sentenced to six years injail. the judge told mrs mandela there was no indication she felt even the slightest remorse. the chinese government has called for an all—out effort to help the victims of a powerful earthquake, the worst to hit the country for 30 years. the computer deep blue has tonight triumphed over the world chess champion, gary kasparov. it is the first time a machine has defeated a reigning world champion in a classical chess match. america's first legal same—sex marriages have been taking place in massachusetts. god bless america! good to have you with us on bbc

news. the latest headlines. a special prosecutor, robert mueller, has been appointed to investigate alleged russian interference in the us election. venezuela has stepped up its military presence along the colombian border as violent anti—government protests continue to spread across the country. well, we've heard from the washington insiders, but how do donald trump's broad base of supporters around the us feel about the cascade of negative reports? nada tawfik went to nashville, tennessee, to ask some of them. guitar in nashville, it is the twang of a guitar that moves this music city. and unlike washington, politics is not the topic in the bars. in the capital of country music, the tunes belt out the concerns of the everyday american:

paying rent, finding love. and those who voted for donald trump brush off the image of a white house in crisis. they view the headlines as simply noise. you cannot tell me that all these leaks and all these kinds of comments in the press that come through almost daily, almost hourly, are not because people are trying to subvert this president. the near daily revelations, including how the president has possibly interferred with the investigations into his associates' ties to russia, do not raise red flags with voters. now, obviously we care whether he is colluding with russians and trying to effect the election and those kind of substantive matters and, if real hard evidence comes out about that, then obviously we will have to reassess. but in terms of trump, trump is doing exactly what he has done for the last year, and people love him for that. when you speak to donald trump's most ardent supporters,

their views on the man they elected have not changed. instead, they are convinced that the constant lea ks and revelations are part of a concerted effort to undermine his presidency. but you make russia the boogeyman... phil valentine hosts a conservative talk show directed at those who do not trust the mainstream media. he says donald trump needs only to cares about delivering on his campaign promises. if he does not cut taxes, if he doesn't lower the corporate rate, if he doesn't do the things that he said he was going to do duirng the campaign then there's going to be trouble. what has these hockey fans on pins and needles is wether nashville's team will reach the stanley cup, but conservatives here have no fears about president trump. all the medias are all democrats and left—wingers and they don't want to see him do well, they don't want to see america do well, they just want to give america away. the things they're saying about him and everything isjust all lies. the media most of the time blows

things out of proportion. there's always two sides to the story. there's no doubt that the president's approval rating is taking a hit, but there's no sign of an erosion of trust from his base. they feel empowered by his presidency, and his defiance. nada tawfik, bbc news, nashville. let's speak to republican political consultant, john mclaughlin. he's been an advisor to donald trump over the past six years, including during his campaign last year to become president. welcome. good to talk to. leaving aside whether this is untrue, based in fact, you must be a frustrated man that so many of these campaign promises arejust man that so many of these campaign promises are just not getting acted upon because of the firefighting thatis upon because of the firefighting that is constant. it is still early. the report really nailed it. in my surveys , the report really nailed it. in my surveys, donald trump supporters, he still has 80— 90% approval ratings among this base. many strongly

approve. we are doing poled across the country. all of the fury is inside washington. it shows how badly out of touch the elites are with this populist president who was elected to change things. change won't come in a matter of months. but he has been successful, especially with security... that is a very interesting point. there is a lot of talk right now about impeachment. we are always told by the commentators that it is never going to happen while the republicans control congress, unless they start to feel that the republican base, his core voters, are losing it with him. do you think it will never happen? articles are based on fact. there are no facts... it was reported in the independent counsel that, you know, what is

interesting, the deputy attorney general that made the appointment was being stalled in the senate by the democrats who were obstructing him forfour months. the democrats who were obstructing him for four months. then the democrats who were obstructing him forfour months. then he the democrats who were obstructing him for four months. then he fires james comey, who had no political support in the country because he basically corrupted the law enforcement of the united dates, the fbi, which had always been seen as a thing above politics. —— united states. he was seen as holding his punches... i would have to pick you up punches... i would have to pick you up on that as james comey would reject that and will get his chance next week when he gives testimony. we don't know. there are no facts that proves there is any collusion between the donald trump campaign and the russians. we don't know that yet. there is no proof. i can tell you there are no facts. i worked on the campaign. it never came up in the campaign. it never came up in the polls and it never showed up in the polls and it never showed up in the electorate. there is no evidence

they tampered with any election ballot that all. hillary clinton got destroyed in the election. she was supposed to win. it was the biggest upset for the establishment they have ever seen. they invented this myth of the russians. and they talk about general flynn. the person who took most money from the russians of hillary clinton. i can let you say that on it. they have to be able to reply. we will wait for robert mueller. wait until he has his report. i cannot let you make those allegations on air because we will be liable as well. thank you. let us talk again. the number of child migrants and refugees travelling alone around the world has reached record numbers. the united nations is warning that many of them are at risk of being exploited by

smugglers and traffickers. 0ur correspondent, caroline hawley, has been to greece, where she's been talking to children who've fled war and poverty. they had to cross through five different countries to get here — three afghan orphans now being looked after at a shelter in athens. hameed is 15, his brother ali 13 and mortaza11. their parents were killed in a taliban bomb. the boys arrived here in march after a month—long journey, partly on foot, in the hands of smugglers. hameed says they now want to join their 18—year—old brother in sweden. there was no reason to be in afghanistan after my mum and dad died. there was fighting and explosions. how difficult was the journey, what was the hardest part? with so many migrants now stuck in greece,

there's not space in proper shelters for all the unaccompanied children and there are stories of teenagers being forced to work for no pay, or prostituting themselves for pocket money. one in ten of the children who've arrived in greece travelled alone. these syrian brothers told me their parents had sent them to europe to avoid them being conscripted. it's very dangerous to stay in syria because they're taking a lot of children like us from the age 16 to the war, to fighting. in the shelter they live in, 21 teenagers are learning how to play again. the man in charge of the refuge fled iran as a child himself and is now a psychologist. translation: all these kids have psychological difficulties — they have sleep problems, aggressiveness, self—harm, not wanting to eat or be around other people. some of them will be scarred for life by what they've been through. and the un says that record numbers of children are now on the move around the world without their parents — driven from their countries by conflict and desperation.

much more must be done, it says, to protect them. caroline hawley, bbc news, athens. let's speak to jens matthis in new york. he co—authored the unicef report about child migrants and refugees. it isa it is a shocking report. many people suspected as much. what are the chances of the change in anything happening? the world needs to come together to understand it cannot go on like this. children in need different attention like they are getting now. the new york declaration that was adopted by the united nations last year by the united nations last year by the united states clearly points to a new regime that is needed for children on the move, especially those not covered by the asylum regime. there is a process in place

right now to have a global compact for migrants. within that, we are hopeful that the needs of migrant children can be addressed. how would you do that on the ground? i was talking to a refugee from eritrea the other day and he made that long dangerous journey and you know what that journey involves. dangerous journey and you know what thatjourney involves. he said the most frightening part was being in thejungle most frightening part was being in the jungle in calais. most frightening part was being in thejungle in calais. he had to rely on those around him. it is not easy. we have to address this by offering the kinds of protection services that the children require. we have solutions that involved detaining children. they will go under the radar. when we have solutions were boarders are being blocked and children are being pushed back with police beatings and so on, they will not get what they came from

services. —— where borders. it requires a different kind of approach which will give children what is in their best interests. we have seen a similar situation in greece. many people from the us are watching. how would you describe the situation at the moment? the situation at the moment? the situation has changed a bit. the numbers have gone down if you compare it to the previous two yea rs. compare it to the previous two years. but overall, it is still very high. | years. but overall, it is still very high. i think it is a similar situation. children who are desperate to move. they take very dangerous routes. they put their lives in the hands of smugglers. they are not getting the kind of support that you would want her own children to have. you hear these stories, they are heartbreaking. as isaid, stories, they are heartbreaking. as i said, they require a different kind of approach and a concerted effort. it is not something, also, thatis effort. it is not something, also, that is just concerning one country

like the united states. the children that get pushed back of they are still some way. they get deported, like from the mexican border to the southern triangle. these children need assistance. they may not come out here, but they will be somewhere. thank you very much for that. the co—author of the unicef report. thank you for being with us. much more at any time on the bbc website. hello. i know many gardeners in england wanted some rain, but i suspect some of those gardens are now water—logged after what happened during wednesday. this is one soggy picture from lincolnshire. and in fact it was at coningsby, in lincolnshire, that was one of the wettest places during wednesday, notching up about 40mm of rain — that is nearly a month worth of rain in 24 hours, but you can see elsewhere widely around 20—40mm of rain from this weather system and clearing now into the north sea. we have a few showers

for northern ireland and western scotland, parts of wales, north—west england stayed dry. now we are looking at a fresher feel to things during thursday and for the next few days as we bring in some slightly cooler air. it is more noticeably fresher, less humid rather than cooler because, actually, in some sunshine, where we had the rain during wednesday, it will feel warmer. the sun will eventually come out after perhaps a cloudy start in east anglia and south—east england. elsewhere, plenty of blue sky to begin the day. take a look at things at 8am. some sunshine in the channel islands after wednesday wet weather. plenty of blue sky in south—west england. again brightening up in the far east of england after perhaps a cloudy start. now there is a chance from the word go of picking up a shower somewhere in wales, north—west england. northern ireland, don't be fooled by a dry bright start, cloud will build quite quickly in the morning, showers break out and there will be one or two across western part of scotland to begin the day. let's go on through thursday and see how the weather develops then. quite quickly the cloud builds in northern ireland. the risk of catching a slow—moving heavy and possibly thundery

downpours may come with a bit of hail as well. some beefy showers developing in scotland, too, especially to the north. one or two heavy showers for the afternoon for northern england, for wales and south—west england. maybe an isolated one late in the day in the midlands. much of east anglia and south—east england staying dry. a fresher feel to things, but again quite pleasant in some sunshine. things cool down when the showers move through. some of the showers continue during thursday evening. but as we go through thursday night and into friday morning, another area of rain running up the eastern side of england. during friday, that could actually move across more of the uk, more of northern england and scotland, as we go on through the day. so there's still some uncertainty about this weather system. keep checking the forecast. elsewhere on friday, we're expecting sunshine, showers again, temperatures into the mid—teens. cooler though where you have any persistent rain rather than showers. we're going to keep low pressure close by going the weekend. perhaps some rain across part of scotland to begin saturday. elsewhere sunshine and showers. throughout the weekend, pleasant in some sunshine. cool with the showers, that could be heavy.

fresh—feeling days and there will be some chilly nights. this is bbc news, the headlines: the us department ofjustice has announced the appointment of a special prosecutor to lead the investigation into alleged russian interference in last year's presidential election. he's a former head of the fbi, robert mueller. he'll also consider any collusion between russia and the trump campaign team. the venezuelan government has reinforced its military presence in the state of tachira along the colombian border which it considers a centre for anti—government radicalism. the defence minister said 2,600 troops would be sent to quell looting and rioting. the number of child migrants and refugees travelling alone around the world has reached record numbers, according to the united nations children's fund, unicef. the un says at least 300,000 children applied for asylum last year and warns many are at risk

of being exploited by smugglers and traffickers. now on bbc news, hardtalk.